Starting to Say Goodbye

Tomorrow I am going up to New Hampshire so I can see my Grandparents before they leave to go to Florida. I was talking to my grandmother over the phone today and it was during that conversation that I realized that I am not going to be seeing her before my trip, so I convinced her that it would be a good idea for me to come up and see her and Grandpa even if it is for only 4 hours.

This is the start of the goodbye for now's.

One thing that I have learned growing up is how to leave a place with out much emotional trouble. Saying goodbye to people is not hard for me because I feel as though I am just a phone call or a text or facebook post away. I have moved from Garden Valley Idaho to Penang, Malaysia back to Idaho and to Boston with out much trouble (other than packing and unpacking). Some people I know have trouble even leaving their home for a day let alone 3 months. This interests me because it is different from how I feel.

What keeps people from leaving places that they have lived? What makes people so strongly attached to a person or a place that they never venture past the city limits? Is that OK? Is it the smart thing to do? Is it the Right thing to do?

Do you have trouble leaving friends and family for extended periods of time? What do you think it is that keeps you from leaving certain places?

Is it easy for you to leave people and places? What do you think about when you make that transition time after time?

Make a post on this blog. I would like to hear your stories.

BIKE TRACKS: Tea and Scrumpets

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 18 miles

TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 45 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 1 yr 5 wks

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2279.84 + Miles

What a Wonderfuly Squishy World We Live In

I got a box in the mail from Guyot Design. They were sending me their product "the Squishy Bowls" and "the Utensils" I am very excited to use these things on my trip. They are light weight bowls that can be easily cleaned and packed away. AND THEY ARE BRIGHT BLUE!!!

BIKE TRACKS: Andrew Anderson

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 0 miles

TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 0 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 1 yr 4 wks

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2261.84 + Miles

Testing the Tent

Ever since I started this project I have been wanting to make sure to get as much expirience as I can. So Lara and I decided to sleep in the tent tonight.

The tent is an REI - Arete 2 ASL allseason tent

BIKE TRACKS: Living with Ed TV series

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 30 miles

TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 1.5 hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 1 yr 4 wks

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2260.84 + Miles

The Adventurer in All of Us

Imagine playing guitar hero with that guitar.

Alright so I have known that other people have biked across country. I have known that others have biked down the Americas, I have known that people have biked around the world. And each story amazes me.

I am currently trying to get in contact with anybody and everybody that has done any of these amazing trips in order to swap stories and promote each others projects. So below are a few people that have amazed me. There are plenty more but these are a few of my favorites.

Darren Alff (Bicycle Touring Pro) - www.bicycletouringpro.com (I have gathered so much information from this guy. he tours and tells you everything. he has a book also.

Mike Beauchamp (the Cross Canada Project) - www.mikebeauchamp.com/crosscanada/index.php (Mike biked across Canada and made a documentary)

Lee Hughes (The Adventure of a Life Time) - www.leehughes.co.uk (Lee is doing "The Adventure of a life time" biking, climbing, walking and paddling, check it out)

Mark Cooper - www.runwithmark.com (This guy is running from Amsterdam to Barcelona, just look at is)

BIKE TRACKS: NPR

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : Rest Day

TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : ~ hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 1 yr 4 wks

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2185.84 + Miles

Relationships and Cross Country Adventures...Do they Mix?

Valentines day is loved by many and loathed by everybody else. I tend to enjoy it just because it is a day that I know I have scheduled to spend with the person that I love. It is extremely nice to simply spend a whole day without worrying about things that I have to do or being anywhere else. This alone time with Lara is becoming more and more important to me as I get closer to my tour, March 20th. And the effect that the tour will have on the relationship is also becoming a more and more important subject that Lara and I talk about.


The three months apart is something that is a topic that is brought up in jest and in all seriousness. Instead of just dealing with this worry when it comes Lara and myself have talked about it several times, which has strengthened not only our relationship but also has my desire and excitement for the trip.

The conversations ranged from missing each other to WHY THE HELL AM I DOING THIS! both of which have validity. By talking about these things it always brings up emotions, but to deal with the emotions while we are together and able to look at each other in the eye and feel each others energy I think is much better than when I am in the middle of Texas all by my self. Lara still says that she is going to miss me and instead of that being something that I would take as her not wanting me to go, we have communicated enough to know that she will miss me AND she is excited for me to go on my great adventure.

So standing overlooking North Adams, MA Lara and I take a photo that is now a yearly tradition of ours. And I think about how nice it is to have a full day in which I can spend uninterrupted time with someone that supports me in my bike touring and that I love.

NEW EQUIPMENT:
-Lone peak front handle bar bag
-bike trainer (Bell Motivator Mag Indoor Bicycle Trainer)

THINGS FOR YOU:
Is there ever a time when you should not communicate about something with your partner?

BIKE TRACKS: Beirut

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 45 miles

TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : ~ hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 1 yr 4 wks

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2148.84 + Miles

-11 Degree Weather and Still Biking

Biking in -11 degree weather is reserved for the special people. I happen to be one of those special people. What drove me to put on my bike shorts, my wind breaker, my gloves, face mask, leggings, wool sock, and beanie? I want to say that it is my drive and will to keep biking no matter what but I can not tell you that with out saying that I needed to go to Melrose and I didn't want to pay for the commuter rail.

Though my toes were frozen by the end and I had to use a hot pack to thaw them out I did not encounter any trouble with the trip. When it gets that cold the world stops and I felt as though I was in a ghost city where even the tumbleweeds would not roll.

LESSON LEARNED: My clip shoes are make to keep my feet dry so there is allot of air flow. to keep my feet warm I Velcroed some hand warmers to the from of my shoe. It kept it warm for about ten minutes than when the feet started the sweat the shoe would do its job and let the air flow right into my foot thus causing them to freeze. So in the future put your hand warmers inside your shoe if it fits that way you wont leave a nice jet stream for some nice air-conditioning in your shoe.

It has been some months since I have updated you on my preparation for my trip. since then I have been going full steam collecting all the necessary items to make this dream a reality. some of those things are(brands and more specifics are to come when new site is launched):

Lone peak panniers (saddle bags for to carry things) (p-500)(p-100)

Back and a Front rack

leggings

winterbike gloves

facemask

CO2 bike pump

road tires

wind jacket

MSR firefly stove

sleeping bag

WHAT I AM IN NEED OF:

small 3 season 2 person tent

handlebar bag

I have recently had my photos taken and will be showing those soon once I have narrowed them down.

BIKE TRACKS: Red Hot Chilly Peppers

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 14 miles

TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 1.5 hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: ~

TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 2103.84Miles

Small Update & my new hobbie...Bicycle gymnastics

I have been working hard at getting everything put together to start purchasing and acquiring all the stuff I need for my trip. but every once in a while with all this work it is great to find out something about this world that I never knew but think that it is hilarious and beautiful that it exists. check this video out. Bicycle gymnastics.

http://www.wonderhowto.com/wonderment/two-girls-one-bike-watch-this-and-weep-all-bmx-ers-0113588/

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 14 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 1 hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: ~
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 1520.84Miles

I'M BAAACK

Hello all,
It has been way to long since I last wrote anything but I am here to say that I am back from my summer adventures in movie land and have stories to tell and video to show. I have done a moderate amount of biking (I can always do more).

To let you into what has happened in my life and what caused me to disappear for so long, I now have two feature length films under my belt. In June when I got back from Hawaii I did the best buddies ride (of which I have video to show you, I am currently editing that) then that next day I went strait into pre-production for IRONSIDES which was filmed on Cape Cod and in the North shore. Then while filming that film I worked with one of my new best friends Jim Cummings who filmed IRONSIDES and was going to create his own film NO FLOODWALL HERE. He asked me if I wanted to come down to New Orleans and be the assistant director on his film. after thinking about it and how it would affect my bike ride (which is now pushed to next year) I decided that right now in my life the experience of making another feature film would benefit me greatly (which it has).

So will I disappear on you again? NO I have developed a new sense of self and capability and my bike ride is one of my priorities. I will continue to be doing other things but I have many stories to tell that I want all of you (my friends, family, and readers) to know.

What you should be expecting this next couple of weeks is LOTs of video from Hawaii and cape cod and New Orleans. I have also started biking again in Brookline which is my new place of residence once again.

Thank you all for still reading and I cant wait to have you apart of my adventures again.

The Holy Arches

No, I am not talking about McDonald's, sorry. What I am talking about is a holy ground for Hawaiians that I was told has a great swimming area. I tried getting to it earlier in my stay with Lara but we had poor directions. When I went with my parents the other day it sure was beautiful (video below).

I have been able to do several rides in Hawaii and have not been able to put up all of them on my blog. soon they will be up.

May 30th is coming up soon, which is my first century ride. For those of you who don't know I am doing a fundraiser for the Best Buddies foundation. This 100 mile ride is to raise money for a great organization that supports accomplishments and independent abilities of intellectually challenged kids and adults. I have raised $850 as of May 24th with your help and have $600 more to raise before June 5th. All that I need from you is to click on the link below and read about Best Buddies International and then click DONATE. This is a charitable donation that you can use on your tax return and every dollar you send gets me closer to my goal.

TO DONATE FOR THE BEST BUDDIES 100 MILE RIDE:
http://www.kintera.org/faf/r.asp?t=4&i=277768&u=277768-249715971&e=2328462426

BIKE TRACKS: Cake (Short skirt and a long Jacket)

AUDI BEST BUDDIES CHALLENGE
$850 of $1450
TO DONATE CLICK HERE

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 10.5 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 47 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 68 hrs 04 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 520.34Miles

Racing the Cars

Day 41 - 4/16/09

Doing quick rides are nice, but I am starting to realize that in order to feel like I have done any major riding I need to be gone for at least 3 hours. But with my schedule I only can do so much at a time, so today I did a 50 min ride to the JP ponds focusing on speed. I actually got to race some cars along a stretch of the ride. The bike path heading south on the east side of the pond runs right along the road. I wanted to see what kind of speed I had so I started racing cars. Some would hit the gas and blow by me no problem but there were a couple of cars that I was able to keep up with. I bet I hit 25 miles per hour as some point. It was fantastic and exhilarating. I can’t wait to have a camera strapped to my bike so I can take you all along for the ride.

(Picture is of the rough draft for my trip)

BIKE TRACK: Chemical Brothers (Come With Us)

BEST BUDDIES CHALLENGE:
$410.00 or $2750.00
DONATE HERE

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 7.57 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 50 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 66 hrs 30 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 490.14 Miles

Then and Now

Day 39 – 4/13/09

I rode up Beacon St through Newton and by PIE. I wanted to see how I would feel this time riding up that hill near Boston College compared to the first time, many moons ago. I was able to ride very easily over the hill. As I was going down the other side I thought about how I am now closer to one of those bikers that I originally tried to keep up with on my Day 6 ride. I was able to keep my energy going for quite some time. Over the hill past the pie shop around Newton center, into West Newton, and back to home sweet home. It was nice to see a difference between then and now.

BIKE TRACK: Barenaked Ladies (Maroon)

BEST BUDDIES CHALLENGE:
$410.00 of $2750.00
DONATE HERE
Before May 30th, 2009

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 14.5 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 1 hr 30 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 62 hrs 40 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 464.31Miles

The Witching Town

Day 38 – 4/9/09

Having a destination in mind has helped motivate my rides. I love getting on the bike and just riding, but having a destination and knowing when I will get there just keeps me focused and on the bike for a longer time. Today that destination was Salem, MA. Jesse and I rode our bikes there for two reasons; 1 being to see the coast and 2 because Lara works there on Tuesdays and Thursdays (so exploring the Salem dungeon with her would be fun).

Doing our best to follow Google maps instructions we got most of the way there. It is almost a straight shot with a couple of tricky turns. One of the places we stopped to ask for directions was Rollin’s Barbershop (410 Lincoln Ave Saugus, MA 01906) in Saugus. I walked in to the front door and had found myself in the middle of a living room with a barber chair around the corner. There was a gentleman, Mr. Rollin I presumed, sitting on a couch watching the daily news. I asked him about where we were and he proceeded to tell me where we were and how we could get to Salem. I chatted with him about my bike trip and asked him if I could take a photo (the one displayed to your right). He was very kind and I could have talked with him for a while longer, but I realized that Jesse was outside probably questioning why I was gone for so long (I did need a hair cut). After saying goodbye we got on our bikes and road into the "witching town". I had been to Salem twice before but it was during Halloween so I really did not get to see Salem and experience the history of that town. It was classic, scary, and reminded me of a traditional coastal town that just happen to be one of the centers for witch mania. After seeing Lara in her play and tour, Jesse and I got some gelato (heterosexual life mates, I swear) and took our trip back to Boston.

Salem was great and it was Jesse’s longest ride so far with a total of 42.6 miles, so congrats to him. We will be going back because; what a destination to have!

BIKE TRACK: Maroon 5 (Maroon 5)

BEST BUDDIES CHALLENGE:
$410.00 of $2750.00
DONATE HERE

Before May 30th, 2009

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 42.6 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 6 hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 61 hrs 10 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 449.81Miles

I am the Product

Day 37 – 4/8/09
Today I got on my bike and rode out to Cambridge. This is always an interesting ride because, there are so many cars to deal with that part of the fun is trying to find different routes so you won't be on main roads. I went across the BU Bridge and followed that to Central Square where I met my friend Melissa at her work (RE/MAX). She introduced me to her boss Paul. Talking to Paul was great because it was all about marketing and business proposals, of which he knew lots about because he was the owner of the place).He asked me why I wasn’t doing this trip for a cause other than my doc (good question). It made me really have to think about it. For some reason I just feel as though it would take away from my personal experience. But is that selfish? I’m still trying to figure it out. Paul helped me think of myself as a product that I am trying to sell (a useful, smart, caring, human product). And at the same time I need to keep the human relation in my sales pitch because not having that would destroy my whole mission, right!? After chatting I got back on my bike and rode out to Porter Square and went to Sugar and Spice,(1933 Massachusetts Ave, Cambridge, MA 02140) which has great yellow curry tofu.

On a different note (because a couple of people have been asking), I am going to start incorporating music that I am currently listening to just to give you some insight into my music life . I am looking for recommendations on music also. So here is the first “bike track”:

BIKE TRACK: Little Feat
(recommended by a gentleman who came into EUREKA)

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 10.4 miles

TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 1 hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 56 hrs 10 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 407.21 Miles

My First Wall

Day 34 – 3/30/09

By the 40th mile marker I started to hallucinate. I had been on my bike for 4 hrs in the pouring rain and I for some reason kept going. Every hill I would hit seemed to get steeper and every car that would pass would get closer. I was on my way to Fitchburg, MA for my longest ride so far and didn’t know what I was getting myself into. The water would run down my glasses, I couldn’t feel the tips of my toes and my pants started warming themselves because they were so soaked through that my body energy would just heat the water trapped in the three layers I had on. By the time all the roads started to look the same I decided I would pull over to the side of the road. I stretched and took a deep breath. I had hit my first wall.

For 4 months now I have been quickly taking on challenges in biking, not feeling as though I needed to stop but wanted and could push further. I went from biking down beacon St to biking to Lowell (25 miles away) in a month. I have felt pretty invincible, until now. 40 miles is a fraction of the amount that I plan on doing in a day for my trip across the country but right now, 4 months into my training 40 miles combined with constant down pour, my mortality hits me right in the face. Now don’t get me wrong I am not giving up by any means, instead I am more motivated than ever to get my biking up to the speed that I want it to be. I like the challenge; it just so happened that I have learned more about my body’s capabilities. Right now 40 miles is my first wall. I have 5 months to get that wall to 100 miles, now that is a clear goal if I ever had any.

After taking in the fresh New England back country air I got back on my bike and pushed the final 3 miles. The last 500 meters were strait up a hill but I made it and was able to take a nice relaxing day with Lara and her mother.

At around 25 miles a small beacon of light shined on the side of route 117. It was Great Brook Farms Café (356 Main Street Bolton, MA 01740) that looked more like a winery café then some building out in the middle of MA. When I went in, it was beautiful. There was a group of older men chatting around a couple of tables as if they had been there their entire lives. There was a woman near the window being interviewed about being a female in a male dominated field (not sure what the field was but it was an interesting conversation to over hear) I walked up to the counter and a man was in the back preparing someone’s drink. He told me to grab a coffee if I wanted and he will be right with me. Bruce was his name and he was the owner. We ended up chatting about small business and how he wants to change this place into a destination to have your wedding at. I think he definitely can do it. He is also a motorcycle racer so we talked about that for a while. It is definitely a place that I will go back to, especially because they have BBQ sauce and boy am I a sucker for some good BBQ.

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 43 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 4hr 45min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 49 hrs 10 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 360.31 Miles

More the Merrier

Day 31 – 3/26/09

Experiencing something new with another person is always exciting. I am so glad that many of my friends have started biking (some for the first time is YEARS, some EVER). My friend Jesse told me several months ago that he really wanted to bike with me. So after some searching we got him a bike and today, March 26th 2009, we set off on our first adventure. We traveled to the Jamaica ponds to get on the bike path so he could warm up and get used to the bike. He was great. I could not believe that he has not ridden a bike for years, because he was fallowing me and hitting the road almost better than I was when I first started up again. After circling the ponds a couple of times Jesse pointed out that the arboretum was near by. We looked at my bike map and set off on our route. Now call me crazy but I had no idea what an arboretum was and how beautiful and calming a place it is. For those of you as lost as myself, they are places where different trees from all over the world grow together in one location. You can read about the different trees and just walk (or in our case ride) on beautiful paths without the disturbances of cars, just you and nature. Jesse and I will be traveling on many more adventures in the future and I hope that others will join us. Because it is always nice to experience something new with another person and the more is to be merrier.

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) :15.67 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 3hr 15min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 42 hrs 10 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 303.31 Miles

Riding With Friends

Day 30 – 3/23/09

My play, “Dark Play or Stories for Boys” Ended on a very good note. Through the entire 5-week run the thing that amazed me the most was the different types of people that would come to the shows every week. We had college students, high school students, longtime theatergoers, and first time theatergoers. It was really nice being able to talk to all of them and see all there different responses to the same play. Riding on my bike to the last show I road along the Cambridge side of the Charles River. It was a nice ride. I was able to watch the city of Boston go by as I passed through Charlestown and into Chelsea. It was overall a great ride except for the huge potholes on the back roads once I was in Chelsea. They swallowed my bike, but I survived to tell the story.
After the show I road to the cast party in Watertown. I wont say much but lets just say I am glad I have gotten good at climbing hills.

On Monday I was able to go on a ride with my friend Thomas Patrick Dunn (yes he’s Irish). It was great. I fallowed his lead south of Jamaica Plain. I learned a lot about the area. Such things as…There are so many flipping hills! Something that I did notice was that I was doing pretty well on hills but when it came to flats Tom would kick my ass. I was very interested in why he was going so much faster than me on flats? I had the road bike, I have been training my ass off, Whats Up? I was looking at his gears and he continually stays on the highest set of gears. So I thought maybe because he bikes so much on that high gear it builds up his muscles in such a way that he can go fast on flat ground. I asked him about it and he said that he is always trying to get from one place to another really fast. And most of the places he tries to go are not that far away and not really up a hill. So I think that that is what it was. His muscles have adapted to short sprints where I am training my body to go long distances at a constant speed. (Oh the cool things that our bodies do.)

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 36.62 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 4hr 15min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 38 hrs 55 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 287.64 Miles

Minuteman Bike Path

Day 26 – 3/17/09

The Minuteman trail is a bike trail that runs from Arlington to Bedford. It takes bikers and walkers and skaters off of high traffic roads and puts them onto a beautiful, enjoyable pathway. I was able to finally use that path. I was heading to Lexington to get in a ride. Lara was going to pick me up there. I focused on trying to keep a higher mph and that was made easier because of the minuteman bike path. I averaged around 11 miles an hour. That is the best I have done so far.

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 11.65 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 1 hr

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 29 hrs 50 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 220.42 Miles

The Dust has Settled and There is One Bike Standing

Day 24 – 3/12/09

The battle has come to an end and the last bike still standing is non other than the Surly Long Haul Trucker. It is a fantastic ride, sturdy as an Ox and rides so very well. It is so cool that it even has 2 extra wheel spokes on spare attached to the frame. In choosing it I have done a lot of research and have talked to bike shop owners and looked on the internet and the Long Haul Trucker has everything that I need and looks so fine doing it. I am going to be picking it up tomorrow in the morning before I do my Mass Bike Pi(e) ride in the afternoon. It will be a great first ride.

On another hand…My friend Eric Gulliver whom I worked with at Emerson College has a music video on Pitch fork that I think everybody needs to see. It is a beautiful piece that expresses so much. CLICK HERE for the video.

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 12 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 90 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 26 hrs 20 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 190.28 Miles

Checking In

Day 22 – 03/10/09

“Just double checking.” This is a phrase that can be taken as responsible or can it also be taken as a sign of weakness? When I pack my bike for my trip I plan on double and even triple checking to make sure that when I go off in to the wild of this crazy country that I have everything that I need. That to me is responsible. Or could that be that I doubt my packing skills so there for I am checking something that I should have gotten right in the first place?

I bring this up because today was a day of mistakes for me. Outside of my biking life I am dealing with lease problems about my current apartment and because I did not double check with the management company they think that I want to extend my lease for another year. So putting that into the mix, on my ride I completely took the wrong route to get to Harris Cyclery. I wanted to avoid the notorious Mt. Ida but with my excellent directional skills I started going around it than ran into it again. It was pretty funny because I was on the right track then I just decided to take a left for some reason and it put me between the highway and a vertical clime to get to Newtonville road, and although I love cars and trucks racing by me at 70 miles an hour I decided that the clime would be the path for me. I did get to go bombing down the other side, which almost made the mistake worth it, but man did I just want to get to the bike shop so I could do some more research for my trip.

I am nearing the time for me to buy my new bike so I have been doing many-much (it’s a word I swear) research and I have talked to many-a bike shop and read many-a websites, and I think that the Surly Long Haul Trucker is the bike for me. I am going to take the bike out for a test ride tomorrow but I have been narrowing it down and I think that for my trip and on my budget this bike is for me. It is a solid steel frame (so not as light as other bikes) it has many Braze-ons so I can attach my water bottles and racks to get a fully loaded bike. It has bar end shifters, which are going to be new for me, but I think the case for them is much better for the case against them. What they are are small levers on the end of the curved handlebars that move up and down. The reason for them is that if there were to be a crash and my shifters get damaged I can easily replace these for cheep. The other shifters are built into the brake levers so if one thing breaks the whole thing breaks, plus they are about $250 per shifter. And also one random fact is the fact that they are at the end of the bar you have to move your hands to shift them which keeps your body from being completely the same the entire time (that tidbit of info is from Elton from Harris). I have checked and double check to see if this bike is the one I want and after the test drive I think I will find out that I will not want any other.

So after a day of self-doubt I finish this entry with a thought about that phrase “just double checking.” There should be no judgment of character or responsibility for double-checking. Many things have been saved or changed; many destinations have been made because some one has double-checked. I hope every body is enjoying my blog and is excited for what is to come, I know that I am but I wanted to just double check with you…(ha.. wow that cheesy, that could be called a Vashroism)

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 12 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 90 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 23 hrs 20 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 169.19 Miles

The Esplanade... Finally!

Day 21 – 3/4/09

The Esplanade, for all of you people that don’t know, is a walkway that fallows the Boston side of the Charles River. It is one of the most beautiful places in Boston. There is so much life that is along that path. There are runners and walkers, people rollerblading, and bikers. The City is on one side and the water is on the other. Today was a great day for biking in general because it was sunny and warm (finally!) So I set out towards the esplanade and ended up biking all the way to the science museum and back. It was a smooth ride where I got to see lots of people and I also was able to do some training sprints and pace work. I would take a section of the path and try and go as fast as I could from one end to the other so I could work different parts of my leg muscles. Nothing bad happened on the trip it just was a pleasant ride with pleasant weather.

As far as news for the near future I have picked up another bike that I am going to be training on till I get my tour bike. It is a mountain bike (GT Talera all terrain). Will Lubelski who is a roommate of my friend Devon is letting me barrow it for the moment. It has two side saddlebags and rides very very well. I took a 2 min ride on it and one thing that I noticed was how far over the front tire the handlebars were. It affected my riding allot (in a good way). I really am thankful that all these people are being so helpful to me. It really is nice to have support for something that is a really big challenge. I am going to be taking the other bike that my friend Becca so greatfully let me use and (with Becca’s permission) I will be handing it off to my friend Jesse Rizuko who will be starting to bike with me.

Another event that is coming up on Saturday March 14th is a bike ride with Mass Bike (www.massbike.org/) it is going to be a fun ride where we will start at the Boston Common and go to Petsi Pie in Somerville (www.petsipies.com/). If anybody would like to come, click HERE and contact Shane at shane@massbike.org. Please join a couple of my other friends and myself on a new pie adventure (I say new because I have gone on other pie adventures if you look at my previous posts).

TOTAL DISTANCE FOR DAY (TDD) : 10.61 miles
TOTAL TIME FOR THE DAY (TTD) : 60 min

TOTAL TIME TRAINING: 21 hrs 50 min
TOTAL DISTANCE TRAVELED: 157.19 Miles